


Permanence

by Theyna_Shipper



Series: Star Wars One-Shots [34]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy, The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: Ben Solo Lives, F/M, Family Fluff, Fix-It of Sorts, Gen, Luke's Jedi Temple, Pregnancy, Reylo Baby, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-27
Updated: 2020-10-27
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:42:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,496
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27218116
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Theyna_Shipper/pseuds/Theyna_Shipper
Summary: The Mandalorian has found the Jedi Temple of Luke Skywalker, currently protected by a young family while the Jedi Master is away. A brief respite in the midst of running gives him an insight into what permanence might be between him and the child.
Relationships: Din Djarin & The Child, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Series: Star Wars One-Shots [34]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1637683
Comments: 5
Kudos: 97





	Permanence

**Author's Note:**

> Me: Here's how Ben Solo could be alive in The Mandalorian S2
> 
> My brain: By fantasizing about something so unlikely, you're setting yourself up for disappointment. Let alon the logistics of having Adam and Daisy film, the odds that Disney would take a risk like that on such a big-ticket item...
> 
> Me:...
> 
> Me: ALSO, Reylo baby

Yavin IV is not a particularly exciting planet. Since the defeat of the Empire, there is no use for it as a military base anymore, and the tiny place where Luke Skywalker is rebuilding the Jedi is of interest to very few in the galaxy. 

It seems like an odd place to find a “race of enemy sorcerers”, but Din’s been through enough trouble to trust this, and need to trust this. 

The child (perhaps he should have some name to call it by now, but nothing has felt right) is unfazed through all of this. One planet to him is much the same as any other; he is comfortable most anywhere. 

He finds an empty clearing in which to touch down safely. Out of the windows of his ship he sees people on the landscape below, looking up in surprise at the large ship descending. A young woman harvesting some kind of fruit or vegetable, a man getting up off his knees from some sort of repair. 

They seem peaceful for what he has been told about these _jedi._ No visible weapons, very few, minimally armed ships. 

The child has his face pressed against the glass to study the planet’s surface. His favorite part of every new planet is the opposite of Din’s: the new people they get to meet, for however short a time. It’s always a little heart-wrenching to take him away. 

“Let’s go, kid,” he grunts once the ship has landed and powered down. 

He coos in reply, and sits up in the hover-crib. 

The people they saw while they were landing now await them in the clearing. Their faces shift from curiosity to concern as he walks, heavily armed, down the ramp of the ship. The man stands up and walks cautiously over to the woman (who, now that he’s on the ground, is clearly pregnant), his hand resting on something on his hip. _So they do have weapons._

Din raises his hand in what he hopes is a placating gesture, though there are admittedly few when you are armed to the teeth. 

“Are you… the Jedi?” he asks, wondering if that sounded as stupid to them as it did to him. 

He thinks it is, when the man smiles sardonically and the woman seems to giggle. 

“No, but I suppose we’re the closest thing for now,” he says. 

“If you’re looking for Master Skywalker, he’s off-world right now,” she adds. “Is there anything we can... help you with?” 

“I have heard that this child- that he belongs to the Jedi,” he says, pushing the cradle forwards. 

_”Oh,”_ the woman coos softly upon seeing it. What is it, about women and this child, that endears them so much to him? “How old is he?”

“About fifty,” he replies. “He’s a slow-aging species.” 

“Hey, sweetheart,” she croons, holding out a finger that the child quickly grasps. “Hey.”

The man is much less immediately entranced. Half a protective gaze is still directed towards the woman, and while the hand on his hip has relaxed slightly, it is still present. “Who told you to come here?” 

“A woman in my tribe saw him use a power, something she called the Force,” he begins. 

The woman bending over the cradle looks up. “The Force? He’s Force-sensitive?”

Din nods. “She said it belonged to a race of sorcerers, once enemies of us Mandalorians. It was difficult to find you.”

“Master Skywalker would say that his doors are open to all,” the man says. “But if this is your child, you should not be separated.” 

“We can give you a place to stay until Master Skywalker returns, at the very least,” the woman offers. “We have some spare accommodations.”

“I would be very grateful.”

“Let me help you with your things,” she offers, reaching for one of his bags. “I’m Rey, by the way.”

“Don’t lift that,” the man says, taking the bag away from her. 

“I’m not _helpless,_ Ben,” she sighs. 

“No, but you’re seven months pregnant,” he retorts. 

Rey sighs. “He doesn’t let me do anything anymore. Here, let me show you your room while Ben sorts your things out.”

She begins to lead him down the jungle path, surprisingly fast considering how weighed down she is, chipperly telling him about the planet. 

“Do you and your husband live here?” he asks. They act almost like they don’t belong there, like they know they’ll have to leave. 

“We’re not married, yet,” she replies. “And- no, we don’t leave here. We’ve been travelling a lot, and we’re just resting here for a bit.” She gestures to her stomach. 

He nods. “Travelling.” 

She looks nervous. “Yes, travelling.” The lie couldn’t be more obvious. “So, this child of yours-”

“He was supposed to be a bounty,” Din replies. “I… I couldn't bring myself to turn him.”

“So you’re a bounty hunter?” There is no disdain in her voice, to his surprise, only curiosity. “That’s…”

“Dangerous?” he suggests. “Yes. Why else would I bring the child to someone I am told is an enemy, if I thought he was safer with me?” 

“Oh,” Rey says. “What’s his name?” 

He’s been asked this enough times, and it feels stranger every time to say, “I don’t know.” 

“I thought maybe, when I came here-”

“Here’s your room,” Rey says abruptly. “And- as much as Master Skywalker might be able to help,” she adds. “That child is depending on you. I know it can be hard to accept, especially when you think that’s not who you are. Firsthand. Ben wasn’t always-” She hesitates. “Who he is now.” Rey shrugs. “Just keep that in mind, and get some rest.”

She leaves him alone in the room, much more jarred than anyone would have noticed. 

Din reaches for his helmet, pressing the release mechanism, until a noise from the cradle startles him to sliding it back on. 

The child has still never seen him without the helmet, Din realizes. He has bonded himself wholly to someone whose face he does not know. And Din, the only thing that has seen his face is a now-dead droid. 

Mandalorian law did not forbid removing one’s helmet in front of family- were it forbidden, that would make _several_ things awkward. But starting nuclear families was also quite rare, especially with the clans so reduced. 

When a tiny green hand places itself against the crown of a helmet, he is reminded of what The Armorer told him: _You are as his father now._

If there was ever anyone to show his face to…

But this time he is interrupted by someone gently pushing open his door- Ben, with the chest he brought from the ship. 

“Just set it here?” he grunts, pointing to a spare space on the floor. 

He nods. “That’s fine.” 

“We can bring you something to eat later,” he offers, “But we’ll leave you alone for now.” 

“Thank you.”

Ben leaves the room quickly after this brief exchange, and Din wonders what Rey meant by _He wasn’t always who he is now._

Instead of walking away from the hut, he can hear them talking outside.

_“I think we should leave soon,” Rey says._

_“We’ve talked about this. We have no idea where we’ll end up when we jump the vergence. It’s best to settle somewhere where we know we’ll be safe, until-”_

_“And it will be safer to travel with a newborn?” Rey argues. “We’re close to our own time. Just a couple more jumps. We could be home in time for her to be born.”_

_“I want to do this somewhere safe as much as you do, darling. But I still don’t think now is the best time.”_

_“That’s not the only thing. He said he was a Mandalorian.”_

_“Yes. They’re rarely seen outside of their clans. One travelling alone with an orphan is exceedingly unusual.”_

_“Historic, even. The exact sort of thing we’re supposed to avoid. It doesn’t matter if Luke will forget us as soon as we leave; we still shouldn’t be here-”_

_“Then don’t get involved,” he hisses. “If we just wait it out, quietly, we can jump the vergence back to our time, safely, on our own schedule.”_

“No,” Din says, stepping out of his hut. “No, you should go.”

They are startled; clearly they did not know he could hear them. 

“You said you aren’t from this time. I don’t know if this is possible, but if you can go, you should go. Danger is coming.” 

“How do you know-”

The sound of a ship flying overhead drowns out his next words. 

“That’s not Luke’s ship,” Ben growls. 

It’s an Imperial TIE. Based on the scrappy nature… 

“Run,” he tells him. “Take yourself somewhere safe. Now.”

“There’s ships and a few blasters, take whatever you need,” Rey tells him. “Keep the child in the hut. The roof is bulletproof.” 

“GO!” He shouts. Moff Gideon’s ship is landing. 

“May the Force be with you,” she whispers as she sprints away.

**Author's Note:**

> I KNOW I'M SUPPOSED TO BE WORKING ON MY HALLOWEEN STORY/ELECTION ONE SHOT/FAKE MARRIAGE WIP. BUT SEASON 2 COMES OUT THIS FRIDAY AND I WANTED THIS OK. 
> 
> Please like and comment!


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